Felicity Jones Interview

Felicity Jones On The Dark Side Of Relationships

Quick Bio

British actress Felicity Jones is threatening to become the next big thing to North American audiences thanks to her star turn in Drake Doremus' new film, Like Crazy. She and Anton Yelchin play lovers separated when she overstays her student visa to California and is forced to return home to England. It's a heart-wrenching portrait of love and will that takes place over years, as the couple navigates the legal and literal waters that separate them. Jones had a field day creating Anna, a complex and fascinating character. We spoke with Jones in Toronto.

Anna ignored her visa requirements. What did she think would happen? Did she think she'd get a free pass to stay in L.A. because she's in love?

Felicity Jones: It's consistent with her character. She comes from a very secure background. She has two incredibly loving parents who have given her this freedom, and she doesn't need to think things through. She is the kind of person who will just jump into things and not worry about the consequences. It's partly youth, but really she is just responding to instinct. She loves this person and she's determined to stay with him. She's not thinking about the future.

There is a cringe-worthy scene where Jacob and Anna fight. How did you do it without becoming melodramatic?

FJ: We shot that scene quite late on, and Anton and I knew each other well enough that we could be quite nasty to each other without the other person feeling offended. We'd take on these characters to the point where we weren't tiptoeing around each other. We wanted to catch how cruel you can be when you're in a relationship. You might be a good, loving human being, but when it comes down to it, you sometimes reveal terrible things about yourself.

Anna wasn't being completely honest with Jacob about her career. She didn't say in words how important it was to her to get ahead in publishing and stay in England.

FJ: Absolutely, and that's one of the things I can empathize with -- how to balance all these aspects of your life, relationships and work, and how to maintain both. At the beginning, she puts the relationship first, but as she gets older and grows more ambitious and determined, she realizes she has to pursue what she loves doing, which is writing and being a journalist. But she makes the ultimate sacrifice at the end and leaves that job. She eventually chooses love over work.

Was there anything personal that you brought to this character? Did you ever experience a situation similar to this?

FJ: Being an actor I can understand her alienation. You're constantly traveling and in different places and different time zones. It brings things out of you to be from one place and then be in a different environment. In London, she is a completely different person than she is in California.